Tall footed jar
Egypt (Mesaid, tomb 29), Naqada I, about 3850-3650 BCE
Basalt, H x W: 21.2 x 11.5 cm (8 3/8 x 4 1/2 in.)
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition 1911, MFA #11.186
"This bowl shows stylized hippopotami in a landscape. The animals appear in profile, with clearly delineated eyes, ears, legs, and tails. The wavy, concentric lines at the center are meant to represent water, while the zigzag lines around the border suggest cliffs on the horizon. Scenes of wild creatures may have been intended to impart the animals' powers to the vessels' owners, granting them success in the hunt and protection from danger in the afterlife." (From the info card)
Photo ©Joan Ann Lansberry, 2014